Method and system for displaying status of critical indicators on diverse display devices

ABSTRACT

In a system and method for displaying status of critical indicators or variables, icons representing the indicators are displayed in superposition with a reference shape. The reference shape is divided into “higher-interest” and “lower-interest” portions, such that display of an icon over the higher-interest portion of the reference shape indicates a higher-interest value of the corresponding variable. The reference shape is preferably elongated horizontally, with its upper portion designated as the higher-interest portion and its lower portion designated the lower-interest portion. Each monitored variable may be allocated a vertical “slice” of the reference shape, such that the position of the corresponding icon when the variable is in the higher-interest state is laterally aligned with the position of the icon when the variable is in the lower-interest state. In some embodiments, a single icon representing the present status of the corresponding variable is positioned over either the higher-interest or lower-interest portion of the reference shape. Alternatively, two icons may be used for each variable, where one is positioned over the higher-interest portion and the other over the lower-interest portion. This representation is believed to make the status of each monitored variable visible at a glance. The simplicity of the representation may allow it to be used effectively on various computational devices, including those with small, monochrome displays.

This application is related to the following copending U.S. PatentApplications, filed on even date herewith: Ser. No. 09/548,694 entitled“Method and System for Displaying Status of Critical Indicators onDiverse Display Devices and Indicating Changes in Status” by MacPhail,and Ser. No. 09/548,695 entitled “Method and System for DisplayingStatus of Critical Indicators on Diverse Display Devices and Indicatinga History of Status Changes” by MacPhail.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to information display, and more particularly toa method and system for displaying the status of variables, orindicators, on diverse display devices. This method may be useful formultiple applications involving information display, including, forexample, platform management in heterogeneous systems.

2. Description of the Related Art

The following descriptions and examples are not admitted to be prior artby virtue of their inclusion within this section.

The continuing proliferation of powerful, convenient computationaldevices has been accompanied by an increase in the use of networksconnecting these devices. Computational devices include computers andother, often portable, devices such as wireless telephones, personaldigital assistants (PDA's), automobile-based computers andappliance-based computers. Such computational devices are also sometimestermed “pervasive devices”. “Computer”, as used herein, may refer to anyof such computational devices. The networks connecting computationaldevices may be “wired” networks, formed using “land lines” such ascopper wire or fiber optic cable, wireless networks employing earthand/or satellite-based wireless transmission links, or combinations ofwired and wireless network portions. Networked computational devices areincreasingly configured with the ability to interact and communicatewith one another. For example, electronic mail may currently be sent tosome wireless telephones and pagers, and PDA's may be used to accesssome Internet and World Wide Web (or “web”) sites.

Many network-based applications involve monitoring variables ofinterest, which may be called “critical indicators”. For example, asystem administrator for a computer system or network may need tomonitor variables such as transaction rates, application program status,and disk space availability. Such variables may be considered criticalindicators in that they are important indicators of the health of thesystem or network. Alternatively, an investor may wish to monitor avariable such as a stock price, and may particularly want to be alertedif the price rises above or falls below a particular critical value.Entertainment-oriented applications may also involve monitoring ofcritical indicators. For example, a horse-racing enthusiast may wish toknow whether a particular race has started or finished, and/or whether aparticular horse has placed above or below a particular level.Monitoring of such critical indicators using a computational device istypically done through a graphical user interface (GUI) on the device'sdisplay screen. Many different display formats are possible. Forexample, a bar graph could be used to indicate values of variousindicators, where the heights of the bars vary with time to follow theindicator values. Icons representing each indicator may also bedisplayed on a screen, where selection of an icon by a user results in atext display containing information regarding the status of theindicator. To indicate when a variable has crossed a threshold value,various methods may be used, such as changing the shape or color of anicon representing the variable, or not displaying an icon unless thecorresponding variable has crossed a threshold value.

The above-described methods of monitoring critical indicators may resultin difficulties, however, for users of diverse computational deviceshaving varying display screen capabilities. The trend in size andcapability of such display screens often depends upon whether the deviceis fixed or portable. For example, displays associated with desktopcomputers are generally getting larger, to provide ease of viewingand/or accommodate increasingly complex applications and operatingsystems. Such displays typically have a wide range of colors available,as well. On the other hand, displays associated with portable devicessuch as wireless telephones and PDA's are small and often gettingsmaller, to enhance, e.g., portability and battery life. These smalldisplays also tend to be monochrome displays rather than color, becauseof cost, resolution and power considerations. Although not necessarilyportable, displays included in automobiles or appliances may also besmall monochrome displays, to keep costs down and avoid taking spaceneeded for other functions of the system. This variation in display sizeand capability for different computational devices means that a GUIwhich allows effective monitoring of critical indicators when a systemadministrator's console is used may be very difficult to use whenconnected remotely with a cellular telephone. For example, textdescriptions or icon variations easily understood using a large displaymay be indistinguishable on a small one. Differences in color used todistinguish, e.g., threshold crossings of variables are naturally noteffectively discerned on a monochrome display.

One approach to the problems presented by differing display capabilitieswould be to use different representations of critical indicators to bemonitored on different displays, with more complex (and possibly morecomplete) representations used for higher-capability displays. Such anapproach may be disadvantageous, however, in requiring a user ofmultiple display screens to become familiar with multiplerepresentations of the monitored indicators. Use of multiplerepresentations may make it more difficult to develop a desirableintuitive feel for any one representation. It would therefore bedesirable to develop a method and system of monitoring criticalindicators which may be effectively used on displays having diversesizes and capabilities.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The problems outlined above are in large part addressed by a method andsystem in which icons representing critical indicators are displayed insuperposition with a reference shape. The reference shape is dividedinto “higher-interest” and “lower-interest” portions, such that displayof an icon over the higher-interest portion of the reference shapeindicates a higher-interest value of the corresponding variable. In thecase of a system administration application, for example, display of anicon over the higher-interest portion may indicate that the value of thecorresponding variable has crossed a threshold into a range associatedwith a performance problem for the system or network. For astock-monitoring application, display of an icon over thehigher-interest portion could indicate, for example, that the price ofthe corresponding stock has crossed a “buy” or “sell” threshold presetby the user. In the case of the horse-racing example mentioned above,display of an icon over the higher-interest portion may indicate, forexample, that a corresponding race is currently underway, or that aparticular horse corresponding to the icon has placed at or above apreset level (e.g., second place) in its most recent race.

The reference shape is preferably elongated horizontally, and an upperportion of the shape is typically designated as the higher-interestportion, while the lower portion of the shape is designated thelower-interest portion. In one preferred embodiment, the reference shapeis an elongated oval. Multiple icons, corresponding to multiplemonitored variables, may be displayed over the reference shape. Eachmonitored variable is preferably allocated a vertical “slice” of thereference shape, such that the position of the corresponding icon whenthe variable is in the higher-interest state is laterally aligned with(i.e., along the same vertical line as) the position of the icon whenthe variable is in the lower-interest state. In some embodiments, asingle icon representing the present status of the correspondingvariable is positioned over either the higher-interest or lower-interestportion of the reference shape. Alternatively, two icons may be used foreach variable, where one is positioned over the higher-interest portionand the other over the lower-interest portion. In such an embodiment,the icon representing the present value of the variable is given adistinctive appearance, such as being displayed with a higher contrast.

Use of the reference shape to indicate the status (higher-interest orlower-interest) of a monitored variable is believed to confer severaladvantages. The relatively large size of the reference shape (it may bescaled to essentially fill a display, if desired) is believed to makethe status of the monitored variables visible at a glance, even on asmall display. Because the status is indicated by position of the icon,differences in individual icon characteristics such as color or shape,which may be difficult to discern on a small and/or monochrome display,need not be relied upon. Since detailed icon structures are thereforenot necessary, the representation of the monitored variables may beimplemented using a relatively simple reference shape and simple icongeometries (such as simple shapes). This simplicity may allow therepresentation to be scaled to small sizes without loss of informationcontent. In this way, the same representation may be used on displaysfor diverse computational devices, freeing the user from the need to usedifferent representations on different displays, and freeing applicationdevelopers from the need to develop multiple representations.Cross-platform interoperability may therefore be enhanced.

In addition to providing a rapid indication of the status of a monitoredvariable, the representation described above may include a method ofindicating that the status of the variable has changed, fromhigher-interest to lower-interest or vice versa. The status change maybe indicated by changing the appearance of the icon corresponding to thepresent status of a monitored variable. For example, the icon may bemade to blink, or to move back and forth. Such a change in appearance istypically implemented for a predetermined period of time following thechange of status, where the time period may be set by an applicationdeveloper and/or a user. Such an indication that the status of avariable has changed is believed to be advantageous in situations forwhich rapid action is required in response to changes in monitoredvariables. As in the case of other aspects of the display representationdescribed above, this change in icon appearance is believed to beconveniently observed, even on low-capability displays. The time atwhich a status change occurs may also be stored and provided to a viewerthrough a GUI implementing the display representation described herein.In an embodiment, the time of the status change may be shown on thedisplay screen during the time period of the above-described iconappearance change. Alternatively, the time may be displayed in responseto a user selection of the icon corresponding to the present status ofthe variable. Display of the time at which a status change occurs may beimportant in, for example, allowing an assessment of the potentialeffects of the status change.

In some applications, it is desirable to know not just the time of themost recent status change of a variable, but a history of multiplestatus changes. Stock prices, for example, may cross a threshold valuein different directions numerous times a day. The same is true ofcertain computer system and network quantities, depending on, forexample, the degree of utilization of the system or network. As anexample, a person providing technical support for a computer network mayreceive a report of a particular failure, but then not be able to locatea problem. A history of status changes of critical network indicatorsduring the time elapsed since the failure could help in comparing thesituation at the time of the failure and that at the time of thediagnosis attempt. In an embodiment of the methods described herein, theabove-described representation of critical indicator status using areference shape is combined with storage of information relating to eachcrossing of a monitored variable between its higher-interest andlower-interest ranges. The information may include, for example, thetime and direction of each crossing, and/or a description of aparticular event associated with the crossing. The stored informationmay then be displayed as a history of the status changes of a givenmonitored variable. Such a history is typically displayed in response toa user selection of the corresponding icon.

An embodiment of a system for transferring information within aclient/server network includes a display controller operably coupled toa display screen. The display controller is adapted to display areference shape on the display screen, as well as a superimposed presentstatus icon corresponding to the present status of a monitored variable.The display controller is further adapted to position the present statusicon over a first portion of the reference shape when the present valueof the monitored variable is within a higher-interest range, or over asecond portion of the reference shape when the present value of thevariable is within a lower-interest range. The system may furtherinclude a storage medium operably coupled to the display controller,where the storage medium is adapted to store information relating to thehigher-interest and lower-interest ranges. The display controller,storage medium and display screen may or may not all be associated withthe same computational device. In an embodiment, the display controllerand storage medium are associated with one device, while the displayscreen is on a different device.

In embodiments of the system, the display controller may be furtheradapted to change the appearance of the present status icon for apredetermined time interval after a crossing of the correspondingvariable between the higher-interest range and lower-interest range hasoccurred. Alternatively or in addition, the display controller may beadapted to display information regarding the time of such a crossing,and the storage medium may be adapted to store this time-relatedinformation. In some embodiments, the display controller may be furtheradapted to display a history of status changes of the monitoredvariable, where the history includes a time of each crossing between thehigher-interest and lower-interest range. In such an embodiment, thedisplay controller may be further adapted to store this historyinformation.

In addition to the method and system described above, a computer-usablecarrier medium is contemplated herein. The carrier medium may be astorage medium, such as a magnetic or optical disk, a magnetic tape, ora memory. In addition, the carrier medium may be a transmission medium,such as a wire, cable, or wireless medium along which data or programinstructions are transmitted, or a signal carrying the data or programinstructions along such a wire, cable or wireless medium. The carriermedium may contain program instructions executable for carrying outembodiments of the methods described herein. Alternatively or inaddition to such program instructions, the carrier medium may containdata used in implementing the methods described herein, such as datadefining higher-interest and lower-interest ranges for variables, ortime and direction data for crossings of a variable between theseranges.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent uponreading the following detailed description and upon reference to theaccompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of a system fordisplaying information;

FIGS. 2(a)-2(c) illustrate embodiments of the information displaydescribed herein;

FIGS. 3(a)-3(c) illustrate exemplary reference shape and iconembodiments suitable for the information display methods describedherein;

FIGS. 4(a)-4(c) illustrate embodiments of indicating when a monitoredvariable has crossed between its higher-interest and lower-interestranges;

FIGS. 5(a)-5(b) illustrate embodiments of displaying a history of statuschanges of a monitored variable; and

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating an embodiment of a method fordisplaying information.

While the invention is susceptible to various modifications andalternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way ofexample in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. Itshould be understood, however, that the drawings and detaileddescription thereto are not intended to limit the invention to theparticular form disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is tocover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within thespirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appendedclaims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A block diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a system whichmay be used to implement the methods described herein is shown in FIG.1. Computational device 10 includes processor 12, display controller 14,and storage medium 16. Display controller 14 configures data for displayon a display screen such as display screen 26, and may provide aninterface between computational device 10 and display screen 26. Storagemedium 16 may take many forms, such as volatile or nonvolatile memory, amagnetic disk such as a hard drive or floppy drive, an optical disk,and/or a magnetic tape. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, storage medium 16includes variable range data 18, crossing time data 20, crossing historydata 22 and program instructions 24, also referred to as programexecutables. The program instructions may be stored as “executablefiles” in a direct access storage device such as a disk and loaded intomemory during execution. Variable range data 18 identifieshigher-interest and lower-interest ranges for the values of eachvariable to be monitored on the display screen. Crossing time data 20typically includes the time at which the value of a variable has mostrecently crossed between its higher-interest and lower-interest ranges.Crossing history data 22 may include times for multiple range crossingsof each variable, as well as the direction of each crossing (fromhigher-interest to lower-interest, or vice versa). Other information mayalso be included in crossing history data 22, such as a value of themonitored variable at the time of the crossing, or information on anevent associated with the crossing. Program instructions 24 may includevarious program instructions used to implement functions ofcomputational device 10, such as program instructions used to implementthe methods described herein.

Transmission medium 28 may be used to connect computational device 10 toperipheral devices or networked devices. In the embodiment of FIG. 1,display controller 14 is connected to display screen 26 using medium 28.Transmission medium 28 may include, for example, a wire, cable, circuitboard trace, wireless transmission path, or a combination of these.Display screen 26 may be formed using various technologies, includingliquid crystal display (LCD) technology, cathode ray tube (CRT)technology or projection technologies. Furthermore, display screen 26may have any of the various sizes and capabilities typically found indisplays on diverse computational devices. In some embodiments, displayscreen 26 may be directly connected to computational device 10, as,e.g., a monitor or built-in display. Alternatively, display screen 26may be associated with a different computational device thancomputational device 10. In such an embodiment, display screen 26 may beassociated with a separate display controller for that device (notshown), which may interact with display controller 14.

In FIG. 1 and any other block diagrams appearing herein, the blocks areintended to represent functionality rather than specific structure.Implementation of the represented system using circuitry and/or softwarecould involve combination of multiple blocks into a single circuit ordevice, or combination of multiple circuits and/or devices to realizethe function of a block. For example, processor 12 and displaycontroller 14 may be included on the same semiconductor chip, or displaycontroller 14 may itself contain a processor. Furthermore, the systemmay include other elements not explicitly shown. For example, acomputational device such as computational device 10 is typicallyassociated with at least one input device such as a keyboard and/orpointing device (e.g., a mouse), and at least one output device such asa display or printer.

Exemplary representations for monitoring of critical indicators areshown in FIG. 2. For example, an image which may appear on a displayscreen such as screen 26 of FIG. 1 is shown in FIG. 2(a). Therepresentation of FIG. 2(a) includes reference shape 30 and presentstatus icons 32, 34, 36 and 38. In the embodiments of FIG. 2, referenceshape 30 is an oval elongated in the horizontal direction, but othershapes may also be used, as discussed in more detail with reference toFIG. 3 below. Reference shape 30 provides a reference to the viewer forthe positions of present status icons 32-38. In particular, icons 32 and38 are positioned over an upper portion of shape 30, while icons 34 and36 are positioned over the lower portion. The upper portion of thereference shape is typically designated the “higher-interest” portion.In such an embodiment, the representation of FIG. 2(a) indicates thatthe variables corresponding to icons 32 and 38 are presently withintheir higher-interest ranges. The higher-interest and lower-interestranges are specific to each variable being monitored. If, for example,icon 32 corresponds to space available on a particular disk associatedwith a computer system, a system administrator may wish to be alerted toa present value of this available space below some predeterminedthreshold value. A value below this threshold value could therefore bedesignated as being within the higher-interest range for this variable.In the case of an investor monitoring stock prices, the higher-interestrange for a particular stock could be defined as either above or below athreshold value, depending, for example, on whether the investor wereinterested in an opportunity to sell or one to buy. The image in FIG.2(a) is believed to make clear at a glance that the variablescorresponding to icons 32 and 38 are in their higher-interest ranges,while those corresponding to icons 34 and 36 are in their lower-interestranges (assuming that the upper portion of shape 30 is thehigher-interest portion).

In an alternative embodiment shown in FIG. 2(b), alternative statusicons 40, 42, 44 and 46 are displayed in addition to the reference shapeand present status icons. The present and alternative status iconscorresponding to a given variable are laterally aligned, such that theicons are positioned along the same perpendicular to a horizontal linebisecting reference shape 30. The alternative status icons arepositioned over the opposite portions of reference shape 30 as are theircorresponding present status icons. These icons therefore correspond toan alternative status of the corresponding variable, or the status thatthe variable does not currently have. In the event of a change in statusof a variable, the positions of the present status and alternativestatus icons corresponding to the variable are switched. Use of thealternative status icons may aid in delineating the particular “slice”of the reference shape allocated to a given variable, and may help tofamiliarize a viewer with the two possible status positions of an icon(higher-interest and lower-interest). The present status icons are insome way distinguished in appearance from their correspondingalternative status icons. In the embodiment of FIG. 2(b), the presentstatus icons are displayed with darker contrast (e.g., denser filland/or solid rather than dashed lines). Other distinctions could also beused, however, such as making the present status icons have a differentsize or shape than the alternative status icons.

A partitioning of reference shape 30 corresponding to the embodiments ofFIGS. 2(a) and 2(b) is shown in FIG. 2(c). In a preferred embodiment,upper portion 48 and lower portion 50 of the reference shape areseparated by the horizontal line bisecting the shape. The portions neednot be halves of the shape in all embodiments, however. Upper portion 48is typically designated the higher-interest portion, and lower portion50 the lower-interest portion. This designation could be switched,although having the higher-interest portion on top is believed to bemore intuitive for most applications. In the examples given hereinafter,the upper portion of a reference shape will be designated thehigher-interest portion, unless specified otherwise. Sections 52 ofshape 30, separated by the vertical lines in FIG. 2(c), are eachreserved for icons corresponding to a single monitored variable.Although four sections are shown, many more sections for more monitoredvariables could be designated, depending on the relative sizes of thereference shape and the icons.

The representations shown in FIG. 2 represent merely exemplaryembodiments, and many other embodiments are possible and contemplated.For example, the reference shape and/or icons shown in FIG. 2 could insome embodiments be formed from dashed lines rather than solid lines. Insome embodiments, the icons could be positioned within the interior ofreference shape 30, rather than on the perimeter (as long as the iconsremained positioned within the proper portion of the shape). Use of theperimeter is believed to be preferable, however, in that a greatervisual distinction between the two variable states is observed. Asanother example, guide lines could be provided on the representations ofFIGS. 2(a) or 2(b) in some embodiments. Such guide lines coulddelineate, for example, the boundary between the higher-interest andlower-interest portions of shape 30, the boundaries between the sections(such as sections 52) reserved for each monitored variable, or theperpendiculars along which the higher-interest and lower-interestpositions are aligned.

Some of the many embodiments of reference shapes and icon configurationswhich may be used in the display representation described herein areshown in FIG. 3. As illustrated by FIG. 3(a), the reference shape doesnot necessarily need to be a closed shape. A shape such as open-endedoval 54 may be used in some embodiments. The reference shape ispreferably one that effectively guides the eye in distinguishing betweenhigher-interest and lower-interest states of the monitored variables,but otherwise need not have any specific form. In the embodiment of FIG.3(a), present status icons 56 all have the same shape, although eachcorresponds to a different monitored variable. Using relatively fewsimple shapes for the icons may be beneficial in reducing the complexityof the representation, so that it may be more effectively scaled to fitsmall displays without loss of information. Whether identical icons ordistinctive icons are used for the different variables, the graphicaluser interface may be configured to identify the variable correspondingto each icon upon a user request. For example, an identifying text orgraphic could be displayed upon pointing to an icon using a pointingdevice such as a mouse, in a manner similar to use of a “mouseover” inthe JavaScript language. The identifying information could alternativelybe displayed in response to an actual “click” on (or selection of) thecorresponding icon.

Shapes other than ovals may also be used for reference shapes, asillustrated by the embodiments of FIGS. 3(b) and 3(c). Rectangularreference shape 58 may be used in some embodiments, for example.Although the rectangular shape has similar symmetry to the oval shape ofFIG. 2, it is believed that the oval shape may be more aestheticallypleasing and possibly less fatiguing to use. For example, if thereference shape is scaled to nearly fill a small rectangular displayscreen, the representation using the curved oval shape may be moreeasily distinguishable from the screen edges than one using arectangular shape. The variation in height of the oval along itshorizontal dimension may also aid the eye in matching thehigher-interest and lower-interest icon positions corresponding to eachvariable, in that the matching positions share a vertical displacement(from the maximum height) as well as a lateral position which isdifferent than that for an adjacent pair of icon positions. Suchimproved matching of the higher-interest and lower-interest positionsfor each variable may be increasingly important for representationscontaining a large number of monitored variables. Rectangles or othershapes may be suitable in some embodiments, however.

In some embodiments, the reference shape may not be vertically and/orhorizontally symmetric. For example, reference shape 60 in FIG. 3(c) isnot vertically symmetric. In this embodiment, the higher-interest andlower-interest positions of an icon corresponding to a particularvariable are not along a perpendicular to the horizontal line bisectingthe reference shape, but rather along slanted lines 78. A non-symmetricshape such as reference shape 60 may in some embodiments be useful in,for example, emphasizing the higher-interest portion of the shape overthe lower-interest portion. Visible guide lines such as lines 78 wouldbe more likely to be needed in such an embodiment, however. Anotherpossible icon embodiment is also shown in FIG. 3(c). Square icons 70,72, 74 and 76 are partially “filled” to give a rough indication of thepresent value of the corresponding variable. For example, icon 70appears to represent a variable currently having a relatively high value(as compared to its normal range), while icon 76 appears to represent avariable currently having a relatively low value. Both of these iconsare in the higher-interest portion of the reference shape in thisembodiment, indicating that the present value of each of thecorresponding variables is within its higher-interest range.

In general, symmetric reference shapes and simple icon designs arebelieved to be most conducive to rapid determination of a variable'sstate and to scalability of the display to small sizes. As is partiallyillustrated by the embodiments of FIG. 3, however, many variations ofreference shape and icon configuration may be used. Although therepresentations described herein do not rely upon color to indicate thestatus of a variable for reasons described above, color may of course beincluded if desired, possibly to make the display more aestheticallypleasing on screens which will support it.

Turning now to FIG. 4, exemplary embodiments are shown of display imageswhich may result from the methods described herein of indicating astatus change of a variable. In the embodiment of FIG. 4(a), icons 80,82, 84 and 86 are displayed with reference shape 30. The short linessurrounding icons 82 and 86 are used in the figure to indicate thatthese icons are blinking on the display. The icons are caused to blinkin this embodiment because they have recently crossed between thehigher-interest and lower-interest portions of the reference shape. Thevariable corresponding to icon 82 has recently crossed from itslower-interest range to its higher-interest range, while thatcorresponding to icon 86 has recently crossed from its higher-interestrange to its lower-interest range. The blinking is initiated upon therange crossing, and continued for a predetermined time interval, wherethe time interval may be set by, for example, a developer of anapplication using the display representation, or a viewer of thedisplay. Other ways of changing an icon's appearance may be used insteadof, or in addition to, the blinking shown in FIG. 4(a). For example, anicon may be moved back and forth about its usual position, or the sizeof the icon could be alternately increased and decreased. In theembodiment of FIG. 4(a), timestamps 88 and 90 are displayed in thevicinity of blinking icons 82 and 86, respectively. Timestamp 88 showsthe time at which the variable corresponding to icon 82 most recentlycrossed from its lower-interest to higher-interest range, whiletimestamp 90 shows the time at which the variable corresponding to icon86 crossed from its higher-interest to lower-interest range. In thisembodiment, the timestamps are displayed for the same time intervalduring which the icon appearance is changed, as part of an alert to theviewer that the status of the corresponding variable has changed.

Alternatively, a timestamp could be displayed only upon request by aviewer (or “user”), as illustrated in FIG. 4(b). Pointer 92 may be movedacross the display screen using a pointing device such as a mouse ortrackball. Icon 80 underlying pointer 92 may be selected, typically bypushing a button on the pointing device. Timestamp 94, indicating themost recent time at which the variable corresponding to icon 80 crossedfrom its higher-interest to lower-interest range, may be displayed inresponse to such a selection. The selection of an icon may therefore beconsidered a request by a viewer to see the corresponding timestamp ofthe corresponding variable's last status change. In some embodiments,simply positioning a pointer over an icon may be sufficient to causedisplay of the timestamp, without an actual selection of the icon beingneeded. In the embodiment of FIG. 4(b), timestamps corresponding toicons 82 and 86 are not automatically displayed in response to therecent status changes of the corresponding variables. Timestamps forthese icons may be viewed by user request in the same manner illustratedfor icon 80.

In order to allow other information relating to a monitored variable tobe accessed in addition to timestamp information, selection of an iconmay result in appearance of, for example, a menu bar, as shown in theembodiment of FIG. 4(c). Menu bar 96 appears upon selection of icon 84using pointer 92. Various pieces of information regarding the variablecorresponding to icon 84 are then available by selection with thepointer. A status change timestamp, similar to timestamps 88, 90 and 94discussed above, may be chosen, as may a history of multiple recentstatus changes (discussed further below with reference to FIG. 5). Otherinformation available may include, for example, the current value of thevariable, an identification of the variable being monitored, orinformation regarding an event associated with the status change.

Exemplary embodiments of display of history information are shown inFIG. 5. An example of a history display within the representation ofFIG. 4 is shown in FIG. 5(a). Pointer 92 is moved to overlie icon 86,giving rise to the display of history 98. In some embodiments, history98 could display automatically (without a user's pointing to orselecting an icon), for example, during the time interval following astatus change of a variable. Such an embodiment is believed to typicallyrequire excessive display space, however. In another embodiment, history98 could be displayed when pointer 92 is positioned over icon 86.History 98 could also display only upon selection of icon 86, or throughselection and then use of a menu bar such as bar 96 of FIG. 4(c). In theembodiment of FIG. 5, history 98 includes variable identification 100,threshold value identification 102, time information 104, directioninformation 106, variable value information 105, and percentage filledinformation 107. The variable corresponding to icon 86 is identified as“Space Available on Disk C”, and the threshold value of this variable isgiven as 100 megabytes (MB). The range higher than 100 MB wouldtherefore reasonably be considered the lower-interest range, while thatlower than 100 MB would be the higher-interest range (since a problemcould occur if the disk space gets too low). In some embodiments,definitions of the higher-interest and lower-interest ranges could alsobe given in the history.

Time information 104 includes timestamps for the most recent crossingsof the variable between its higher-interest and lower-interest ranges.The most recent of the timestamps corresponds to timestamp 90 for thesame variable shown in FIG. 4(a). Direction information 106 includes thedirection of each of the crossings, from the higher-interest range tothe lower-interest range, or vice versa. The number of crossingsappropriately included in the history may depend on the nature of thevariable being monitored. As for many parameters associated with thedisplay representations described herein, this number of crossings couldbe set or changed by, for example, an application developer or a user ofthe display. In some embodiments, the crossing direction information inthe history could be given in terms of the actual variable units (e.g.,from greater disk space to lesser, or vice versa), rather than in termsof higher and lower-interest ranges. In the embodiment of FIG. 5(a), thehistory also includes variable value information 105, which is the valueof the available disk space at the time of each threshold crossing (thevalue moved to). Percentage filled information 107 gives the percentagefilling of Disk C corresponding to each value. In this example, Disk Chas a one gigabyte capacity.

A different embodiment of history display, used with a representationsuch as that of FIG. 2(b), is shown in FIG. 5(b). Pointer 92 ispositioned over present value icon 38, resulting in the display ofhistory 99. As discussed above the display could be in response to, forexample, a selection (“clicking”) of the icon with the pointer, simplymoving the pointer over the icon, or selecting a portion of a menu bar.History 99 is similar to history 98 of FIG. 5(a) except that onlycrossings of the variable into its higher-interest range are included.In the embodiment of FIG. 5(b), selection of other icons in thehigher-interest portion of shape 30 (e.g., icons 32, 42 or 44) wouldresult in similar history displays in which the crossings into thehigher-interest range of the variable corresponding to the icon areincluded. Selection of (or possibly pointing to) an icon in thelower-interest portion of shape 30, on the other hand, may result in adifferent history display. Pointer 93 is positioned over alternativestatus icon 46, resulting in display of history 101. History 101 issimilar to histories 98 and 99, except that only crossings of thevariable corresponding to icon 46 into its lower-interest range areincluded. In this embodiment, similar histories could also be displayedfor the variables corresponding to icons 40, 34 and 36. Otherinformation not shown in FIG. 5 could be included in history displayssuch as 98, 99 and 101. For example, a description of an eventassociated with each crossing could be included. The event could be onewhich may have given rise to the threshold crossing. In the example ofFIG. 5, such an event could be the saving of a particular file to Disk Cby a particular application program.

A flow diagram illustrating an embodiment of a method for displayinginformation is shown in FIG. 6. The method of FIG. 6 may be performedusing a system such as that shown in FIG. 1, and may be part of anapplication program running on a computational device such as device 10of FIG. 1. In the embodiment of FIG. 6, a continuous loop is performedin which each of the variables to be monitored is polled in turn and thedisplay appropriately updated. If this method were applied, for example,to the set of variables corresponding to the display of FIG. 2(a), theposition of icon 32 would be updated on the display screen, then icon34, then 36, then 38, then 32 again, and so forth. To begin the displayof monitored variables, a reference shape is displayed on a displayscreen (box 108). This is typically done by a display controller such asdisplay controller 14 of FIG. 1, coupled to a display screen such asscreen 26. The present value of the first monitored variable is thencompared to its predetermined higher-interest and lower-interest ranges(box 110). The present value of the variable may be obtained by, forexample, processor 12 of FIG. 1. The present value may, for example, beprovided by an application running on computational device 10, obtainedfrom another device networked to device 10 (using a transmission mediumsimilar to medium 28), or possibly input by a user of the computationaldevice. Information regarding the predetermined higher-interest andlower-interest ranges for the variable may be included in variable rangedata 18 of FIG. 1. The ranges may be defined by persons including anapplication developer or a viewer of the display screen, and may beestablished by defining a threshold value of the variable at theboundary between the higher-interest and lower-interest ranges.

The comparison of the present value of the monitored variable to thehigher-interest and lower-interest ranges, typically performed by aprocessor such as processor 12 (or possibly by display controller 14,especially if it contains a processor), is used to determine whether themonitored variable is within the higher-interest range (decision box 112of FIG. 6). If so, a present status icon is displayed (typically by adisplay controller) over the higher-interest portion of the referenceshape, in a lateral position reserved for the corresponding variable(box 114). If the value of the monitored variable is not within itshigher-interest range, the present status icon is instead displayed overthe lower-interest portion of the reference shape (box 116). Inembodiments for which alternative status icons are used (decision box118), an alternative status icon is displayed over the opposite portionof the reference shape as the present status icon corresponding to thesame variable (box 120).

If a first pass through the flow diagram of FIG. 6 is being made for aparticular variable (decision box 122), then no change of the variablestatus can be detected during that pass. An example of a way todetermine whether it is the first pass through the method is to reservea set of storage locations to store the previous status of eachvariable. These storage locations could be initialized at the beginningof the method flow (e.g., before step 108), with a value indicating theinitial pass through the method. The storage location could then bechecked during step 122, and if the initial value were present (ratherthan, e.g., “high-interest” or “low-interest”) a determination made thatthe first pass was in progress. If a first pass is not being made, it isdetermined whether the present status of the variable has changed ascompared to the previous pass (decision box 124). Such a determinationcould be made by comparing the present status of the variable to theprevious status, stored in the location discussed above with referenceto step 122. The previous status location could then be updated later inthe sequence, such as subsequent to step 126. If there has been a changein status, the time and direction of the change (current time, andwhether the change is from high-interest to low-interest or vice versa)are stored (box 126). Alternatively or in addition, other informationsuch as the value of the variable or a description of an eventassociated with the change in status could be stored. In the embodimentof FIG. 6, the appearance of the present status icon is also alteredduring a time interval following the change in status (box 128). Thisaltering of appearance may include making the icon blink, or otherchanges in appearance, some of which are described above in thediscussion of FIG. 4. If there has not been a change in status, but thetime period following a previous change in status has not expired (box130), the alteration of the icon appearance is continued.

If timestamp or history information is requested by a user (decision box132), the requested information is displayed (box 134). Such a userrequest may include, for example, a positioning of a pointing deviceover an icon, selection of an icon, and/or selection of a choice withina menu bar. The present value of the next monitored variable is thencompared to its range data (box 136), and the loop is started again.Multiple variations of the method of FIG. 6 are possible andcontemplated. In some embodiments, for example, display of timestampand/or history information could be done automatically during the timeperiod for which the appearance of the present status icon is altered.

Program instructions, such as instructions 24 of FIG. 1, implementingmethods such as that illustrated by FIG. 6 may be transmitted over orstored on a carrier medium. The carrier medium may be a transmissionmedium such as a wire, cable, or wireless transmission link, or a signaltraveling along such a wire, cable or link. The carrier medium may alsobe a storage medium, such as a volatile or non-volatile memory (e.g.,read-only memory or random access memory), a magnetic or optical disk,or a magnetic tape.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art having the benefit ofthis disclosure that this invention is believed to provide a system andmethod for allowing critical indicators to be monitored on a displayscreen. Furthermore, it is also to be understood that the form of theinvention shown and described is to be taken as exemplary, presentlypreferred embodiments. Various modifications and changes may be madewithout departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as setforth in the claims. For example, the system and methods describedherein may be implemented using many combinations of hardware and/orsoftware, and at one or more of many different levels of hardware and/orsoftware, as is the case with many computer-related applications. It isintended that the following claims be interpreted to embrace all suchmodifications and changes.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of displaying information, comprising:superimposing a first icon upon a first or second portion of a referenceshape indicative of whether a present value of a first monitoredvariable corresponding to the first icon is within a first predeterminedhigher-interest range or within a first predetermined lower-interestrange, wherein the first portion of the reference shape corresponds tothe first predetermined higher-interest range and the second portion ofthe reference shape corresponds to the first predeterminedlower-interest range; and superimposing a first alternative status iconupon the reference shape such that the first alternative status icon ispositioned over the second of the reference shape when the first icon ispositioned over the second portion of the reference shape, and the firstalternative status icon is positioned over the second portioned of thereference shape when the first icon is positioned over the firstportioned of the reference shape, wherein the first alternative statusicon correspond to an alternative status of the first monitoredvariable.
 2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein saidsuperimposing comprises displaying the first icon corresponding to thepresent status of the first monitored variable.
 3. The method as recitedin claim 1, wherein a transition between the first predeterminedhigher-interest range and the first predetermined lower-interest rangecomprises a crossing of a first predetermined threshold value of thefirst monitored variable.
 4. The method as recited in claim 1, whereinthe first monitored variable comprises a computer system or networkquantity.
 5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first portionof the reference shape comprises an upper portion of the referenceshape, and the second portion of the reference shape comprises a lowerportion of the reference shape.
 6. The method as recited in claim 2,wherein said displaying the first icon further comprises positioning thefirst icon over a portion of the perimeter of the reference shape. 7.The method as recited in claim 1, wherein positions of the first iconwhen the present value is within the first higher-interest range andwhen the present value is within the first lower-interest range arelaterally aligned, such that both positions are located along the sameperpendicular to a horizontal line bisecting the reference shape.
 8. Themethod as recited in claim 1, wherein said reference shape issubstantially vertically symmetric about a horizontal line bisecting thereference shape.
 9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein saidreference shape is substantially horizontally symmetric about a verticalline bisecting the reference shape.
 10. The method as recited in claim1, wherein said reference shape is an oval elongated in a horizontaldirection.
 11. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first iconexhibits greater contrast with respect to the display screen than doesthe first alternative status icon.
 12. The method as recited in claim 1,wherein the first icon and first alternative status icon are positionedalong the same perpendicular to a horizontal line bisecting thereference shape.
 13. The method as recited in claim 1, furthercomprising displaying a second icon and a second alternative status iconon the display screen, such that the second icon and second alternativestatus icon are superimposed on the reference shape, wherein the secondicon and second alternative status icon correspond to a present statusand an alternative status of a second monitored variable, and whereinthe second icon is positioned over the first portion of the referenceshape and the second alternative status icon is positioned over thesecond portion of the reference shape when a present value of the secondvariable is within a second predetermined higher-interest-range, andwherein the second present status icon is positioned over the secondportion of the reference shape and the second alternative status icon ispositioned over the first portion of the reference shape when a presentvalue of the second variable is within a second predeterminedlower-interest range.
 14. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein thesecond icon and second alternative status icons are laterally displacedfrom the first icon and first alternative status icon.
 15. The method asrecited in claim 1, further comprising displaying a second icon on thedisplay screen such that the second icon is superimposed on thereference shape, wherein the second icon corresponds to the presentvalue of a second monitored variable, and wherein the second icon ispositioned over the first portion of the reference shape when a presentvalue of the second variable is within a second predeterminedhigher-interest range, and the second icon is positioned over the secondportion of the reference shape when the present value of the secondvariable is within a second predetermined lower-interest range.
 16. Asystem for displaying information, said system comprising: a displayscreen; a display controller operably coupled to the display screen,wherein the display controller is adapted to display a reference shapeon the display screen, and wherein the display controller is furtheradapted to display a present status icon and an alternative status iconcorresponding to the present status and alternative status,respectively, of a monitored variable on the display screen, such thatthe present status icon and alternative status icon are superimposed onthe reference shape, and the present status icon is positioned over afirst portion of the reference shape when a present value of themonitored variable is within a predetermined higher-interest range andthe alternative status icon is within a second portion of the referenceshape, and the present status icon is superimposed over the secondportion of the reference shape when the present value of the monitoredvariable is within a predetermined lower-interest range and thealternative status icon is within the first portion of the referenceshape; and a storage medium operably coupled to the display controller,wherein the storage medium is adapted to store information relating tothe predetermined higher-interest and lower-interest ranges.
 17. Thesystem as recited in claim 16, wherein the display screen is associatedwith a computational device.
 18. The system as recited in claim 17,wherein the computational device comprises a computer, telephone orpersonal digital assistant.
 19. The system as recited in claim 17,wherein the display screen, display controller and storage medium areassociated with the same computational device.
 20. The system as recitedin claim 17, wherein the display controller and storage medium areassociated with a first computational device, and the display screen isassociated with a second computational device, such that the displaycontroller and display screen are coupled using a remote transmissionlink.
 21. The system as recited in claim 20, wherein the monitoredvariable characterizes a computer system or network quantity, the firstcomputational device comprises a system administration console, and thesecond computational device comprises a portable device.
 22. Acomputer-usable carrier medium, comprising: first program instructionsexecutable on a computational device for displaying a reference shapeupon a display screen associated with the computational device; secondprogram instructions executable on the computational device fordisplaying a first present status icon upon the display screen such thatthe first present status icon is superimposed on the reference shape,wherein the first present status icon corresponds to the present statusof a first monitored variable, and wherein the first present status iconis positioned over a first portion of the reference shape when a presentvalue of the first variable is within a first predeterminedhigher-interest range, and the first present status icon is positionedover a second portion of the reference shape when the present value ofthe first variable is within a first predetermined lower-interest range;and third program instructions executable on the computational devicefor displaying a first alternative status icon upon the display screensuch that the first alternative status icon is superimposed on thereference shape, wherein the first alternative status icon correspondsto an alternative status of the first monitored variable, and whereinthe first alternative status icon is positioned over the first portionof the reference shape when the first present status icon is positionedover the second portion of the reference shape, and the firstalternative status icon is positioned over the second portion of thereference shape when the first present status icon is positioned overthe first portion of the reference shape.
 23. The carrier medium asrecited in claim 22, further comprising data relating to the firstpredetermined higher-interest and lower-interest ranges.
 24. The carriermedium as recited in claim 22, further comprising fourth programinstructions executable on the computational device for displaying asecond present status icon on the display screen such that the secondpresent status icon is superimposed on the reference shape, wherein thesecond present status icon corresponds to the present status of a secondmonitored variable, and wherein the second present status icon ispositioned over the first portion of the reference shape when a presentvalue of the second variable is within a second predeterminedhigher-interest range, and the second present status icon is positionedover the second portion of the reference shape when the present value ofthe second variable is within a second predetermined lower-interestrange.
 25. The carrier medium as recited in claim 24, wherein the secondand fourth program instructions are further executable for displayingthe second present status icon laterally displaced from the firstpresent status icon.
 26. The carrier medium as recited in claim 24,further comprising data relating to the first higher-interest andlower-interest ranges and the second higher-interest and lower-interestranges.
 27. The carrier medium as recited in claim 22, wherein thesecond and third program instructions are further executable fordisplaying the first present status icon to have greater contrast withrespect to the display screen than does the first alternative statusicon.
 28. The carrier medium as recited in claim 22, wherein the secondand third program instructions are further executable for positioningthe first present status icon and the first alternative status iconalong the same perpendicular to a horizontal line bisecting thereference shape.